The media can be used as a tool during elections to inform the public on the views of the candidates and it can be used as a means to hear what a candidate has to say. It can also analyze and distort the perceptions of those watching, by placing a socially constructed subjective viewpoint in the world's eye. This is aparent when either women candidates, like Hillary Clinton, or the wives of the candidates, like Michelle Obama are seen on TV. Michelle Obama is portrayed as simply a fashion goddess in which there is hardly any mention of her law carreer. Not only is she the first lady, but man can she dress. I am not saying she can't, there is nothing wrong with fashion and the art of self expression, however, when it is all one focuses on, it can reinforce the stereotype of women being nonthreatening, passive, and not serious. The media is constantly talking about how great she looks, do they always talk about ho great Barack looks? Occasionally, yes, but he is overall taken more seriously than Michelle. In the midst of Hillary Clinton's presidential election, she was ridiculed for showing "cleavage" (which I think is a relative term because I saw what they were calling "cleavage" and let's just say it could have been way worse), she was made into this monster fingure, because she did not completely fit the stereotypical feminine norm, she was accused of trying to be a man, instead of simply being a strong human being. The media plays such a large role in our perceptions of people. Before we form our opinions, we should take everything we see in the media with a grain of salt and a cynical eye.
I used the following articles as refrences:
http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/89465/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jessica-wakeman/on-sexist-media-coverage_b_98869.html
Interesting choice!
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